Embodiments of the inventive concept relate generally to multi-core processor systems. More particularly, embodiments of the inventive concept relate to techniques and technologies for hot-plugging a multi-core processor in a multi-core processor system.
Multi-core processor systems are generally designed to provide increased computing performance relative to single-core processor systems. For example, they may provide greater throughput due to increased parallelism provided by additional processor cores.
Multi-core processor systems are currently found in a wide variety of devices. Examples include portable handheld devices, which may have one processor for implementing communication functions, another processor for implementing multimedia functions, and so on.
In some multi-core processor systems, performance is constrained by a power budget. For example, a multi-core processor system may be limited to certain operating frequencies and/or operating voltages due to the availability of power. This can be the case, for example, in portable devices having limited battery life. When creating such devices, designers are generally required to consider tradeoffs between performance and power consumption.